I know without a doubt, the best gift I could ever give them is each other. They are the best of friends.
As time tends to tick on by at an alarming type pace I am working on just taking moments like these to just be. Just be with my little ones. Just be present in the moment. To take the time to watch their faces crinkle as they laugh and roll in the leaves.
When Raymond was younger and before Em was born I would seek out play dates for us. Play dates were easy. Looking after just him… with two hands free. Swimming lessons, park dates, and mom meet-ups were part of our weekly plans. I continued on this tradition when Em was born because at first, she was just along for the ride. Trying to keep up with Big Brother was impossible until she was mobile.
At six month’s old she willed herself to crawl after him. And goodness was she a quiet little sneak that loved scaring him with her stealth skills.
Now that they are older. We are done with play dates. I don’t want to have to “try” to talk to someone while I run after my two munchkins. They delight in physical acts of bravery that often have me catching them… rescuing would be a more apt term to use. Coffee dates are MY time with friends. I don’t need extra time to half-listen-half-watch-half everything on a play date. I want to be hands-on, relishing our days together, and embracing the fact that they want to play together.
They play better together than most kids I know…actually they play nicer than almost all kids I know. That may seem less than humble, but I don’t like watching other kid’s throw epic tantrums, not sharing, or even hitting or being mean to their siblings. That sort of behavior is not acceptable in our house.
I love to get up each day and figure out what we should do. I only have a small amount of time with them at this age when they are home from school and I don’t want to waste any of it! We never plan in advance on our trips… with colds, weather changes, or ahem attitude changes we can go as we please to the park. zoo, and farm. That is one of the sweetest blessings of this life we’re living. Time is flying right on by and I don’t want to regret anything.
So long play dates, I’m not going to miss you one bit.
